Scrawled in sap is the name of favorite song of the moment — a wailing love song so southern I can close my eyes and smell honeysuckle and warm, wet dirt when I listen to it. In fact, our Honeysuckle are all leafed out and growing beautiful little buds. I’m not sure there’s anything quite like the intoxicating, rich scent of cream colored blossoms on a warm evening.

Another favorite scent is the Redroot, which is flowering right this moment. Those unassuming white puffs of flowers produce a smell like Lilacs dipped in honey, a nice complement to the root and stem which often smell distinctly of Wintergreen. Yesterday, I found Rhiannon with her head in a bush and wondered what she was doing until I saw that it was a Redroot. When she surfaced from within the bush, she had a blissful expression on her face and seemed somewhat speech impaired for a while afterwards.

The Banana Yuccas are sending up flower shoots and I’m so looking forward to some yummy Yucca fruits and flowers this Spring, very very tasty (with an aftertaste of soap if not prepared just right). I’ve been exploring my friend’s gardens whenever I get the chance and have happily come home with some very treats, a bit of Lovage here and a taste of new Mint there. The Rosemary in the little kitchen garden is miraculously flowering, having survived a bone chilling winter and still thriving.

We’ve been dining on turkey breast, duck and fresh Nettles lately, sometimes life is so delicious I’m afraid it’s going to be outlawed! I’ve also been making a divine herbed flax/egg bread that is amazingly insulin friendly and quick to make. I’ll post a recipe when I get it perfected.

The river is warming and the Wild Roses leafing out. There’s something unbelievably sweet and nourishing about seeing the same plants bloom each year, about watching another generation of mischievous chipmunks and round bellied javelina be born and grow thoughout the year. Once upon a time, I moved nearly every year. And while being a nomad has it’s benefits, I’m just so enthralled with the process of digging in, growing my roots and nurturing each connection to this land with reverence and awe.

Note: Oh yeah, that song is by a group called 16 Horsepower, and you probably won’t like it unless you’re as angst loving and weird as I am. My favorite music is all minor key bluegrass and haunted Appalachian style folk with an apocalyptic twist. I love the music of saws and banjos, howling waifs and sad whispers. For a more palatable sample of what I like, check out the Be Good Tanya’s album, Blue Horse.